Tribute: Elizabeth Taylor
Written by Dina Gachman and Nick Justus
Art by Warren Montgomery
Letters by Warren Montgomery
Colors by VJ Ruiz
Cover by Apri Kusiantoro
Bluewater Comics
Release Date: September 30, 2012
Cover Price: $7.99

Comics are a labor of love and a literary genre that receives far too little press, not to mention praise. So, in the spirit of “there is no such thing as bad or in this case mixed, publicity” let’s move on. Bluewater Productions is an independent publishing company who specialize in biography comics. Their latest offering in this genre arriving in late September appears to be a mixed bag, with its heart in the right place, and its tongue firmly planted in cheek. Elizabeth Taylor: Tribute is a 40 page short graphic novel in their ongoing Female Force series highlighting the important achievements of famous women from Hillary Clinton to Marilyn Monroe.

Writer Dina Gachman blends pop culture with historical facts to highlight what made Dame Elizabeth Taylor such a celebrated actress and public figure, but is a bit heavy on the fizzy pop.

The Mis-Adventures of Adam West
Created by Adam West and Darren G. Davis
Written by Reed Lackey
Art by Russell Dauterman and V. Kenneth
Colors by Kamui Ayama
Letters by Jaymes Reed
Cover by Joe Phillips
Bluewater Comics
Release Date: September 15, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Adam West, the actor who played Batman in the campy 1960s series, has returned to his heroic ways. This time, however, he’s made the leap from the small screen to the comics pages. In The Mis-Adventures of Adam West, West is frustrated at the dark nature of most modern day heroes. Also, he is frustrated with his agent for showing him scripts where the main characters have questionable morals. West is inexplicably transported into one of the scripts thanks to a magic amulet that is sent to him. West leaps into the body of the main characters, and his age and appearance vary from script to script. West changes the story and makes sure that the hero in each story remains moral and upright. West is also trying to discover the orignins of the amulet, who gave him the amulet, and a way back to the real world.

Dorian Gray #1
Written by Darren G. Davis and Scott Davis
Art by Federico De Luca
Cover by Federico De Luca
Dorian Gray created by Oscar Wilde
Bluewater Comics
Release Date: July 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Bluewater Comics is an independent comic publisher who is unique in their devotion to biography and literary adaption genres. With the success of titles like Quartermain and Sherlock Holmes, this month introduces readers to Dorian Gray #1, what could be its most ambitious ongoing monthly series yet.

Oscar Wilde’s wit is nearly impossible to replicate, and luckily the writers eschew attempting such a thing. Opting instead for a loosely based take on the Faustian themes and the characters in the original novel, they trade 19th century London for present day New York City. While Wilde is near and dear to my heart, I have never been a literary snob, nor do I intend to become one. Any medium that inspires people to pick up a book or enjoy said book again in a new way is a fabulous thing. Writers Darren G. Davis and Scott Davis just might have enough tenacity and decadence to make this comic fun too. That always helps, so people will actually buy it.

The Cast Of Doctor Who
Written by Paul J. Slamoff
Art by Jaime Martinez Rodriguez
Colors by Dario Reyes
Cover Art by Joe Phillips
Bluewater Comics
Release Date: March 14, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Bluewater’s unauthorized The Cast Of Doctor Who takes a glance into the backgrounds of a few of the actors who have taken on the role of The Doctor through the years. Without a standard comic storyline, the book serves more as an introduction to the series, specifically designed for newer fans that are interested about the Classic Doctor Who series.

The comic book oddly only looks at four official Doctors (plus a fifth outside canon which we will get to later). I’m guessing this limited examination was restricted based on space available for the publication of the comic. Overall, the comic examines William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, and Matt Smith as the current Eleventh Doctor.

Comics #4: Saturday Night Live
Written by Chad Lambert
Art by Patricio Carbajal
Colors by Michael Langdale
Letters by Jaymes Reed
Cover by Rovel Yumul
Bluewater Productions
Release date: April 11, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99
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Right away, upon opening this Bluewater comic book presentation, which is dedicated to the history of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels asks himself to answer the question we start thinking as soon as we see the cover of this comic, and that question is, “How can I think about the entire history of the program in 4 minutes?”

Indeed, but somehow, writer Chad “Bud” Lambert and artist Patricio “Bud” Carbajal attempt to undertake this massively huge feat in Comics #4: Saturday Night Live and almost succeed.